Aidan Read today (22 January, 2017) made his racing debut in LMP2 with Algarve Pro Racing in the season finale of the 2016/17 Asian Le Mans Series at Sepang, Malaysia. In a dream weekend for the young Australian, he and his teammates secured the race win and with it, the overall series championship for the team.
“To win on my debut really is a dream come true,” Aidan stated. “The whole weekend has been a real experience and it’s been great working with Algarve Pro. It’s been a real challenge stepping up to LMP2 but we showed really good pace and after the (accident at the start for a rival) we were able to move back to the front and control the pace.
“To come here and be consistent has always been the aim and I’d like to thank my two teammates – Andrea Pizzitola and Andrea Roda – as they have been really helpful and I’m delighted to have contributed to an amazing weekend for the team.
“We had some issues with the driving position earlier in the weekend and with the belts in the car, but we worked around those and today just perfect. It was physically tough, but I was ready for that. I think I have proved that I can race with the best at this level and I’m now looking forward to my next event.”
The three practice sessions ahead of the 4H of Sepang saw Aidan getting up to speed, gaining confidence with each outing and running close to the ultimate pace of his more experienced teammates.
A fantastic last lap push from Pizzitola saw the Italian claim the pole position in the #25 Ligier JSP2 Nissan on Saturday evening by just 0.008s from their nearest rival. Race day saw Roda take the first stint, before handing over to Aidan for his first laps in the LMP2 in race conditions.
Aidan completed his stint without incident, lapping quicker than those behind and extending the margin at the front of the field, before Pizzitola brought the car home to secure the win and title with Algarve Racing.